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Celebrating ‘Midla Kuu’: Launch of Our Kaurna Building Names

Posted on August 18, 2025

On Monday 11 August, Open Access College held a special event called ‘Midla Kuu’ (meaning “launch” in Kaurna) to celebrate the renaming of our school buildings in the Kaurna language. It was an exciting day for our school community as we came together to recognise and honour the Kaurna people, the Traditional Custodians of the land where we learn. By giving our buildings Kaurna names, we are showing respect for the deep wisdom, culture, and connection to Country that has been here for countless generations.

This project began last year when our Reconciliation Action Plan committee suggested naming our buildings in Kaurna. A working group was formed and worked closely with Kaurna Elder, Uncle Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien, who reminded us that naming is a sacred process, requiring care and respect. With his guidance, and through listening and learning, names were chosen that reflect not only the purpose of each building but also the sense of learning, belonging, and community that happens inside them. Students, families, and staff all had the chance to share their thoughts, while our Aboriginal Community Education Officers, Mic and Tracey, spoke directly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families to ensure their voices were included.

‘Midla Kuu’ was a wonderful way to begin this journey together. The names we now have, do more than label spaces—they carry stories, meaning, and culture that we can all be proud of. While it might take a little time for all of us to get used to the new names, we are committed as a school to learning them, using them, and honouring their significance. Most importantly, these names remind us to keep listening, learning, and walking together on the path to reconciliation.

To learn the new names, visit our Kaurna Building Names page for more details.